Syracuse University football quarterback Ryan Nassib knows the ultimate measure is victories

Frank Ordoñez / The Post-StandardSyracuse University football quarterback Ryan Nassib is having a record-setting year statistically but says there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Syracuse, NY -- He is at the top of the charts but will be the first to admit he is not at the top of his game. He is about to stand above Donovan McNabb, Don McPherson and Marvin Graves but says he does not deserve to stand with them. Yet.

At some point in the game Nassib (2,460 yards) will likely surpass McNabb (2,488) and Graves (2,547) as SU’s career leader for passing yards in a season. He is one touchdown pass away from the school record shared by McNabb and McPherson (22). He already owns the record for attempts (383) and completions (236) in a season, is No. 2 in passing yards per game (223.6) and No. 5 in completion percentage (.616). He has thrown three times as many TD passes (21) as interceptions (7).

Following nearly every SU game the opposing coach pays tribute to Nassib’s ability and toughness. Yet, there is something about his performance that has so far failed to attract adoration in his own camp. Listen to the voices:

“He definitely could have made those numbers a lot nicer, and I think he knows it,” offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said. “So even though it might look great for something that is in the (record) book he knows he can be a lot better. There’s a lot of room for growth.”

“At times he has done a very good job and at times he hasn’t been able to do so well,” head coach Doug Marrone said. “It is true for everyone on the team."

And from Nassib himself: “I feel like I’ve got a lot more to prove. I think I’ve been playing good but I haven’t been playing great.”

The comments do not reflect a player who is about to surpass statistically the greatest quarterbacking names in school history. There is a simple explanation.

“I think the guys you’re talking about did a great job of winning games and taking over games,” Nassib said. “They took a lot of it on their shoulders and took over games. Those guys are held at a different standard because ... I haven’t been as successful as those guys.”

It is true. SU teams went 35-14 with McNabb, 33-12-3 with Graves and 23-11-1 with McPherson. SU with Nassib is 13-11.

“A quarterback is measured simply by wins,” Hackett said. “Last year (when SU was 8-5) everybody said Ryan was very good, and he didn’t have the season he’s having this year. He has to win. That’s all that matters.”

The Orange has not been winning. It will enter the Pitt game mired a four-game losing streak. There are may reasons for the 5-6 record, but at the top of the list is a veteran offense expected to carry a young defense but instead has displayed only marginal improvement, gaining roughly 27 more yards and scoring roughly two more points a game than last season. The focus of the offense is always the quarterback.

“He’s the guy who gets too much credit when the team wins and too much blame when it loses,” Marrone said. “I think a lot of that is happening around here right now.”

As the team has struggled the criticism of Nassib has mounted even as the protection has broken down, receivers have failed to get open and teammates have missed assignments, causing plays to break down.

“Ryan has taken some shots,” Marrone said. “People say he gets nervous and that’s true at times, but he sits in that pocket and takes hellacious hits at times. He’s a lot tougher than people give him credit for.”

Tough, but can Nassib can’t throw an accurate deep ball? Do his passes come out too hot and are hard to catch? Does he get rattled in the pocket? Does he fail to find wide-open receivers? Can he improvise and turn a broken play into a big one ala the three SU greats noted above?

Those are the impressions of his critics. There is validity to at least some of it.

“Ryan needs to get a lot better,” Hackett said. “He knows that. That’s been voiced to him. There are a lot of things he can do to get better from so many different aspects of football. But you know what? Guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, who are at the top of the game, can say the same thing.”

Guys like Brady and Rodgers don’t need to take over games with the improvisational skills of a McNabb. They are system quarterbacks who stand in the pocket, dissect opposing defenses and exploit them methodically.

Nassib is in the same mold, an intelligent technician who says he knows where every offensive player on the field should be on every play in SU’s playbook. Still, the exploitation of opposing defenses has often failed to materialize. It has been enough to make Marrone question whether it is the player, the system or a combination.

“I think we do that every time someone doesn’t give a performance that can win a game for us, and that goes beyond the quarterback,” Marrone said. “Are we asking him to do too much? Does the line have too many protections? Is there too much in there? When you start not to play well those questions always come to mind.”

Considering Nassib’s statistical excellence it seems strange that the questions need to be asked.

“He sure does a lot of good things,” Hackett said. “He’s got a whole other year, which is very exciting because he’s come a long way this year and he’s learned a lot of hard lessons.”

“He’s getting better,” Marrone said. “Can he take over games? Not yet. But he’s getting better. A lot is what you have around you.”

The ability to take over games was an intangible that elevated McNabb, McPherson and Graves to greatness at SU.

“I think that’s more important than anything,” Hackett said. “Who can capture the team and rally the ream around him? I think Ryan has done a good job of that. He needs to get better at it.”

Nassib will have an opportunity Saturday at Pitt. He is 13-11 as SU’s starter and the pivotal player on a team that is riding a four-game losing streak. It is why he believes that statistics aside, he still has a lot to prove.

“To myself and my teammates,” he said. “It really comes down to wins . . . wins and playing in big games and being successful.”